This page is dedicated to N442WR, a Vans RV-9A built by Ryan and Michael White.
We, (Michael and Ryan) started building N442WR before we even had our pilot licenses, back in 2019. We started working on the project from their home in central Iowa, down in a shop in their basement. The airplane was built through the COVID period, with Michael completing his college degree from home and Ryan working remotely.
Once the airplane was too big for the shop at home, the project was moved to W&C Construction in Boone, Iowa. There, the final components were completed, painted, and assembled. We worked with Don Shearer to complete the paint job, and he did an absolutely fantastic job. The airplane was inspected by the FAA in November of 2022.
After some preparation post-inspection, the airplane was ready to fly. The first flight was on December 18th, 2022. Since this completion, we have both received our instrument flight ratings in this airplane. The plane has been flown ~500 hours as of the end of 2024. We did take this airplane to Oshkosh in 2023, which you can read about here. For more information on the aircraft's specifics, check out the specs page.
